Closed doors and opened windows

Those of you who've known me for a while know I'm a planner. I like to know what I'm doing and where I'm going. I don't do so well when something out of my control makes me adjust my life plan. I like being in the driver's seat with the pedal down!

It's a skill I've been working on a bit this past year. One strategy that helps me is the closed door/opened window philosophy. We all know the quote, "When God closes a door, he opens a window." The point is that a change, a disappointment or a challenge can bring something even better. We just have to have faith and trust Him.

If I had stuck to my original plan, I'd be in Arizona today. I would have finished my second half marathon yesterday. But I didn't make the trip.

When I signed up for the race last summer, it was an exciting opportunity. I had no one to tell me I couldn't do it. In fact, the last year of my life, that's where I'd comfortably settled. I had no one complaining if I dined out too often, spent too much on new clothes, wanted to travel more, or didn't like the decorations I bought for my home. I was very comfortable in this place.

It's what made me jump on the registration without thinking it through. I didn't think about the expense of the trip. The fact I'd likely be going alone. The amount of time I'd want to take off work to really enjoy the sites. The closer it got, I realized I'd save myself a lot of time, cash and stress if I forfeited the little registration fee. So I did, and I signed up for a half in Galveston this Sunday, where I will have the out of town experience with friends to cheer me on.

I was sad about this at first. I was looking forward to seeing a new part of the country. That is, until other opportunities presented themselves. In the past few days, I was able to present to my professional association, rehearse for Charity Ball (loving dancing...this may be a future blog post), and spend time with family and friends (which included checking out a fun driving range).

I wouldn't have traded any of these experiences. I'm just glad I could step far enough back from the closed door to see the opened windows in the corner.

How have you turned a closed door into an open window of opportunity?